An Australian study found that workers who switched between sitting and standing every 30 minutes were less tired and had less back and leg pain, compared with when they sat at their desks all day. Anyone who has been tired or achy at work knows that few things decrease your productivity faster. The study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which included overweight and obese workers, found people had better focus while seated, but there was a trend toward increased productivity in the group that alternated sitting and standing. Regular breaks throughout the work day help workers avoid both fatigue and the common musculoskeletal symptoms that often come from sitting all day, such as joint pain.

Most of us have heard by now that sitting a lot of the day has been linked with a number of health concerns (see our blog Sitting is the new smoking?). Office workers typically spend about three quarters of their workday in a chair. We may not be able to avoid a work environment that requires sitting a majority of the time, but getting up every 30 minutes to breathe, move, and stretch can make a surprisingly large difference in how we feel. And luckily, since the research is showing it actually improves our productivity, there is nothing to feel guilty about at work!

If you’d like to learn more, check out the article Stints Of Standing While Working May Reduce Back Pain by Janice Neumann of Reuters

Absolute Wellness Center offers chiropractic medicine, physical rehabilitation, acupuncture, and massage therapy in Eugene, OR,  including working with both employers and employees to treat and prevent workplace injuries. Sometime simple changes to the work environment can make a huge difference to improving comfort and productivity of workers. Upon injury, prompt and appropriate treatment can often decrease overall time spent off work and loss of productivity due to potential chronic pain down the road. To learn more about how our team can help you or your team, give us a call at 541-484-5777.